Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new microbiological process for preparation of the alkaloid compound staurosporine. 2. Description of the Prior Art
Staurosporine is a known alkaloid compound having the structure ##STR1## Pat. No. 4,107,297 discloses preparation of staurosporine (designated as AM-2282 in the reference) by fermentation of Streptomyces staurosporeus nov. sp. NRRL 11.184. Information on the molecular structure of staurosporine is available in J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Comm. 1978: 800-801, 1978.
Staurosporine is known to have antimicrobial activity (primarily against yeast and fungi) and is also reported to have hypotensive activity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,735.039 discloses that staurosporine also has insecticidal activity.